Half Guard
Half guard is where most passes get stuck and most guards get recovered. The bottom player fights for the underhook and an angle to sweep or take the back; the top player flattens, crossfaces and frees the trapped leg. Its variants - knee shield, deep half and lockdown - are complete games in their own right.
85 resources
Also called meia guarda, half guard bottom, half guard top, half-guard.
Half Guard Bottom
You have one of their legs trapped. Get off your back, win the underhook and sweep or take the back.
- Underhook and Frames Getting onto your side, winning the underhook, and using frames so you are never flattened and crossfaced. 4
- Sweeps Old school, plan B, John Wayne, roll-under and dogfight sweeps once you have the underhook. 15
- Back Takes Using the underhook and the dogfight to climb round to the back. 4
- Submissions Kimuras, triangles, loop chokes and leg entries that appear when the top player over-commits. 3
- Recovering Half Guard Catching a leg during a pass so that side control becomes half guard instead. 5
Knee Shield (Z-Guard)
Half guard with a knee across the opponent's body. Keeps distance, sets up sweeps, chokes and leg lock entries.
- Structure and Distance Where the knee, feet and grips go so the shield cannot be smashed flat. 4
- Sweeps Sweeps that use the shield to lift and tilt the opponent, or that switch to butterfly hooks. 4
- Submissions Kimura, loop choke, triangle and omoplata attacks set up from the knee shield frame. 4
- Leg Lock and Guard Entries Sliding into single-leg X, ashi garami or reverse De La Riva from the knee shield. 3
Deep Half Guard
You are underneath the opponent, hugging one thigh with your head by their hip. A sweeping machine.
- Entries Getting under the opponent from half guard, from failed sweeps or when they stand. 3
- Sweeps Waiter, Homer Simpson, and the basic roll-through sweeps that end on top or in a leg entanglement. 11
- Defending Deep Half (Top) For the top player: how not to get swept and how to pass out of deep half. 2
Lockdown
Half guard with your legs figure-foured around their trapped leg, extending it to break posture. The 10th Planet system.
Half Guard Top
One of your legs is trapped. Flatten the opponent, win the crossface and underhook, and free the leg.
- Flattening and Crossface Crossface and underhook battles that put the bottom player flat on their back before you pass. 3
- Passes Knee slice, hip switch, backstep, weave and the classic "free the knee" passes. 14
- Submissions D'Arce, brabo choke, kimura and americana attacks that appear while you are passing. 5
- Stopping the Sweep and Back Take Whizzer, knee position and weight distribution so the bottom player cannot come up. 4